Wednesday, February 23, 2011

why i want to be a lucy. {or: my thoughts on save the date by jenny b. jones}

Listening To: One Little Song by Gillian WelchWhich is: my favorite Gillian Welch song. And that's saying a lot. I have a Gillian Welch station on Pandora. (Trivia fact: She's one of the few artists I can listen to while I write.)

From curls that were captured in a lime-green paisley scarf to the blouse that looked like it came from her mother’s high school senior portrait, Lucy was the antithesis of traditional glamour. She was unrefined. A fully loaded weapon, ready to shout through decorum and convention. And she was his Hail Mary. (from Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones, p.48)

This is not a book review. (It is, however, a giveaway! Keep reading for deets.)

Honest-to-goodness book reviews are written by critical thinkers. These girls do killer book reviews. The Green Bean Teen Queen? Can write a great book review faster than you can slap a tick. Well-written book reviews take serious thought. They are usually smart and, often, they are gush-free. (And there is no mention of tick slapping.)

I am not that sort. I go for the gush.

So this is not a book review. This is simply a post about a book I love. Namely, this book:

Now. I realize you already think I’m sporting a bias here, because you've probably figured out that the author happens to be a dear friend of mine. You are correct in your assumptions.

I'm fine with admitting that I'm biased toward my people. That I get excited over my friends. I don't worry about my “integrity” as a reviewer. I do care about integrity as it applies to the relationships in my life. My friends mean more to me than books or writing or reviews or any of that. (Because living a good story is more important than writing a good story.) (Note: I also don’t believe in doing glittery reviews just to kiss up to people. There is a happy medium that exists, I think.)

But, Girl Scout’s Honor: I loved Jen’s writing before we were friends. And I would be talking up this book even if we didn’t have brilliant email exchanges throughout the day (by which I mean: swap wacky YouTube clips at frequent intervals ... mostly intervals when we are supposed to be "working").

She's a great writer. I’m super blessed to call her a friend too. And I’m so proud of what she's done with this story. You can read the official blurb here, but I'm going to jump right in.

These are my four greatest loves about Jenny B. Jones's Save the Date. (Please ignore the wonky formatting. Blame the blogger monster.)

Love #1: I love that Save the Date isn’t a “Christian version” of a general market novel. This book could prop on a shelf beside Adriana Trigiani, Meg Cabot, Emily Giffin and all those other literary wizard-ettes and be right at home. Save the Date is women's fiction with a southern flair: smart writing, bright characters, humor, and a love story that makes your heart go fluttery. (Even if you aren't the fluttery type, you'll swoon over Alex Sinclair. Trust.)

There is certainly a faith element to the story, too. Some of the characters in Save the Dateare people of faith: they doubt, they screw up, they celebrate, they struggle, they question. But there is nothing preachy here, no eye-rolly moments that made me feel disconnected.

I think this has to do with how well faith is woven into these characters' lives. The characters in Save the Date talk to God and they question God. And they do this as they are living. Not every "God" moment occurs in church. Not every prayer comes while heads are bowed and hands are folded. Their faith appeals to me as a believer but, even looking strictly from a literary perspective, I think faith adds a whole heap of depth to the characters. I rarely connect with Christian fiction (I get the need for labels to differentiate genres ... but "Christian" is such a weird adjective, yes?) and I think it’s because faith sometimes feels very compartmentalized - tossed in because it has to be there, even if it doesn’t even seem natural for the character. I don't relate to many of those characters. But I relate to Jen's girls. I especially relate to Lucy.

Lucy, the main character in Save the Date, is constantly wrangling faith and life together. Her faith is her life. But she’s not pious or pretentious about it. She’ s seeking and searching and just irreverent enough that you feel like you could actually hang out with her. I dig that. Which brings me to …

Love #2: I love Lucy.

I like how she's all spitfire and passion when it comes to going after what she loves, but still feels flattened sometimes under the weight of her insecurities, her past, and all the unanswered places in her heart.

I love, love, love that Lucy is a dork. A gorgeous, successful, dork. Lucy was a nerd in high school but, instead of morphing into an uber-cool adult (like many characters in novels do), she’s wholly embraced her dorkdom. She has monthly meetings with her sci-fi buddies, the Hobbits. She loves Star Wars (Woot!). She drinks tea from a Princess Leia glass (... where can a girl get one of those?). And yet! Even though Lucy is cool with loving what she loves, she’s also battling some insecurities … those pesky, chronic insecurities that don’t change much from 13 to 30. I appreciated reading about a woman who battles insecurity in a very realistic way. I related to that and I was encouraged by it.

Might I be girly for a moment? Because I am a total romantic (don’t let my constant quasi-snark fool you!), I love the way Alex sees Lucy. Get ready to grin:

Just looking at Lucy made him smile. She had changed into yoga pants and a Wonder Woman t-shirt. He’d dated lots of models, spent time with some of the world’s most exotic beauties. But when he saw Lucy like this, in her comfort zone, he was in the presence of one of the most gorgeous women God had ever put together. p.230

Whew. (Have I mentioned this book will make you swoon a little bit? Cause it will.)

Quite frankly, I want to be a Lucy. I want to be like Lucy because, when it comes to what Lucy loves, she is a beast. She is passionate. She is determined. She is fiercely loyal to the people she loves. But she’s also open to change. She’s open to forgiveness. She’s a perfect blend of sassy and sweet. She's wonderful even without the boy.

But the boy is pretty darn fabulous.

Love #3: The Alex Sinclair Effect.

My.

Lanta.

Alex. Gracious. At one point, about half-way through the novel (which was approximately 3AM on a Sunday morning), I started flipping back through the book wondering:

How is Alex such a fox?!

Do you ever stop to wonder this? Do you ever wonder how authors write fictional guys in such a way that you for-serious start to crush on them? Jen writes guys like this and, all I can figure, is that it's just her particular brand of writing wizardry.

Alex is a little bit cocky and a lotta bit handsome and underneath all that handsome snark … is a very broken heart. And a very kind heart. To tell you anything more him might ruin the discovery for you. But his growth as a character was my favorite. He’s more than eye candy (er ... brain candy?). And the chemistry between him and Lucy is downright sizzly. And so funny too.

Love#4: The Funny. Oh the funny. I love to laugh when I read a book, but it doesn’t happen often. This book made me straight-up laugh. LOL outloud, as Monk would say. And most of the laughing had to do with Clare and Julian, unlikely bff’s who I wish were real. Clare is an uppity ex-first lady with a redneck bucket list that made my life. And Julian is her assistant and has countless zingers in this book. You will adore him.

You will adore all of these characters.

And I suppose that's the thing I love most about Jen's writing: her characters seem so real. At some point, I stopped reading the story and started seeing it. That's my favorite: when my eyes scan the words in a book but my imagination starts to roll it like a movie.

Save the Date is definitely a love story. Jen usually refers to her books as romantic comedies, and they totally are.

There is romance. There is plenty of funny. But there is always something else for me too; something hits me square in the heart.

While I was reading Save the Date, I thought about how life feels so open-ended. I thought about how we try so hard to achieve what people keep barking at us to achieve: get the perfect job at [this age], get married at [this age], have life well-written and on track by [this time]. And then either a.) you break apart somewhere along the way or b.) the timing just doesn’t click. Or c.) you get all that, exactly when you are supposed to get it, and you still end up feeling a little bit wind-blown and listless.

Life isn’t clicking for Lucy either ("How many ways can you twist me in two, God?" Lucy asks on p.62.) Or for Alex. Or for any of these characters. Life isn’t working out the way they planned, and then they get tossed into more turmoil on top of that. Those turmoil moments twisted my heart around a little bit, because I get that. I've been there. In many ways, I am there. I hate the not knowing and the waiting.

My favorite quote in the novel comes from Alex’s dad:

“I love it when God takes a big stirring spoon to plans. That’s when life gets good.” (p. 292)

I’m a firm believer that God writes good out of the broken places (Romans 8:28). And I’m learning the best stories are often the ones we don’t get to plan, the ones that take us completely by surprise. This book reaffirmed that for me.

If you are are looking for a good love story with humor and heart and a kick-butt heroine … you’ll get that in Save the Date. It would be worth reading just for that. The writing is stellar. The characters are vivid. The book is utterly charming.

But. If you're in one of those seasons when you’re working at making peace with your own story: the parts you’ve lived, and the unwritten places … then you might love this book for many more reasons besides.

Because there is so much hope in these pages. My heart felt lighter when I reached the end.

I hope you devour Save the Date and love it as much as I did.

Which is why I’m giving a copy away!

To win a signed copy of Jenny B. Jones’ new novel, Save the Date, this is what you need to do: comment on this post and tell me, in your comment, who your favorite fictional couple is. You can pick a couple from a book or movie or comic book or cereal box or whatever. They just can’t actually exist. :) Next Wednesday, I’ll fire up The Random Number Generator and holler at the winner. (You are welcome to participate even if you've read the book! However, if you've read the book, do let me know. I would love to send this one out to someone who hasn't snatched it up yet.)

On Friday, I’m posting part 1 of my interview with Jen. And if you think Oprah and Jo Rowling had a good interview just wait. (Cause did O ask Jo about Oreos? Or bacon? I think not.)

You can check out Jen’s blog here. And you can find Save the Date in your bookstore or on Amazon by clicking over here.

Happy reading, my lovelies!

PS – I’m sure this will come as a shock to you, but Anne + Gilbert = my favorite fictional couple EVER. Remember when he tucked her hair behind her ear and called her Carrots (..for the second time). Best. Scene. Ever.

You are entitled to your own opinion, of course. But sursly. Can any other couple even compare? ;)

From the most recent fiction book I've read (So Not Happening by, of course, Jenny B Jones), I'd have to go with Bella and Luke. Although I haven't read the rest of the series yet (just ordered the rest from B&N!), so I don't know if they are really a "couple". Haha.

Even if I don't win this contest, I am planning on buying this book for myself! It sounds very good from the reviews and "non-review-posts" I've read.

I'd love to read this book, especially after reading your "review". :) My favorite fictional couple has to be Christy and Todd from the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn. But Scarlett and Mr. Rhett Butler might be a close second. They're just so classic. And of course, Anne and Gilbert deserve a place in any top ten fictional couples!

I love reading the stories of Clark and Marty from Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly Series. They fell in love in an unordinary way but came to raise their children with such love as a couple- amazing! Save the Date sounds awesome- I've been looking for a book that fits that description for awhile. I'll also be searching for the others you recommended on here. Thanks! :)

Okay y'all. Talking about all these fictional couples makes me want to blow off work and read and watch movies. Love stories are the best :) Courtney - it makes me happy to know that Christy and Todd are still going strong. They are classic, for sure. Deanna - Marty and Clark are wonderful! That was a very unique story they had. Did you like the movies? I really, really liked the first one. Katrina, you will love that series. I thought Bella and Luke were adorable together. Katie - I'm with ya. Alex surprised me the most in the novel. There was a lot happening with him and it was all written so well. He's a great character. Also, a foxy one.

Don't need to be entered either, 'cause I'm already a proud owner of a copy...but have to say you totally NAILED it on why Jenny's writing WORKS:-)She captured my reading heart with Katie Parker's tale...and has held it ever-so-gently in her creative hands. She is by far one of my all-time favorite authors.

My favorite fictional couple is Ron and Hermione of Harry Potter. they are so cute and perfect, and I love that it was one of those relationships you KNEW was ging to happen, so when it finally did, it was super sweet :)Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are another great pair--especially in the Keira Knightely movie :)

for books, I love Laurie Holbrook and Ryan Palmer from Erynn Mangum's Laurie Holbrook series. I love that she is so crazy and that he puts up with her.

We've been reading (and acting out) Romeo and Juliet in my english class. I suppose it's pretty typical, but I love the story. It's kind of cool to think that girls in Shakespeare's time thought about love like we do. It's such a great play :)

While Anne and Gilbert are great, my favorite fictional couple remains Darcy and Elizabeth. I also give props to Claire and Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series- these books are wonderful but very saucy. Young readers beware.

OH. Those pictures of Anne just make my heart flutter, and I haven't even watched/read Anne in years! Sigh.

*gazes longingly into the distance*

Oh, my turn. Right. Umm...

EDWARD AND BELLA!

justkidding. :]

I'm really bad at favorites. The first one that comes to mind is Jim and Pam from the Office, for sure.

I enjoy so many, I just can't place them. They usually have to do with an adorable boy falling in love with his less than perfect best friend who has been in love with him for quite some time. Because, well, we can all relate to feeling a little less than perfect and falling for a friend who just doesn't seem to NOTICE you are perfectly wonderful for each other!

Wow! Everyone has mentioned great couples!My favorite thought is Luke Brandon and Becky Brandon née Bloomwood from the shopaholic series by Sophie KinsellaOh & shout outs to Lexi & Dan in Sandra Byrd's French Twist series

wow. i’d seen this book and thought it looked scrumpdidilyumcious(plus, all books by J.B.J. are *obviously* gonna be a sweet read)…but now, at 9:pm i’m ready to change out of my ‘jammies, head to barnes and noble and BUY IT RIGHT THIS MINUTE. ‘cept then i wouldn’t have the opportunity to win a signed copy….:)

yes, i agree with tonya, there’s a pretty hard core collection of couples here….makes me want to do some movie watchin’ and book readin’ you girlies picked good ones!

to answer your question… Anne and Gilbert are deff. my faves. sursly no others compare. ;) or even come close. but if they did….my favorites would be: Jo and Professor(Fritz) Baher or Christy and Dr. Neil McNeil or Marcus and Lisa (from Dee Hudson’s O’Malley series) or Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy or (insert about 47 other great fictional couples that i could name as my favorites here)

Hmmm...I love Anne and Gilbert! I also love Christy and Neil McNeil from the book Christy by someone Marshall I think. But my favorite is.... oh, I can't make up my mind! I think my fav couple is Elinor and Edward from Sense and Sensibility (1995 film and the book).

My favorite couple is Monica and Chandler from "Friends", I think because I can identify myself and my husband with them so much! We started out as good friends, I clean for fun, and he's the witty guy that everyone loves. :) Although, Anne and Gilbert are right up there too...love the bridge scene at the end of "Anne of Avonlea"!

I cried so much during the first movie- haven't seen them all yet though. Love finds a home is good in a cheesy sort of way. I was also thinking about how much I'm looking forward to reading Karen Kingsbury again. Ashley and Landon are so awesome (Baxter family) and now she's creating stories about Bailey and Cody. :)

It's kind of hard for any one to compete with Anne and Gilbert, they are one of my all time favorites. But to pick someone different I will go with Lauren and Ryan from Erynn Mangum's Lauren Holbrook series, I loved Ryan and they were just so cute together! :)

So MANY awesome couples, I was reminded of a few of my favorites from the past. Currently my fav couple would be Bailey Flanningan and Cody from Karen Kingsbury's series. I also LOVE Peeta and Katniss from "Hunger Games."

I don't have a copy of Save the Date but I really want one! I love Jenny B Jones, she is an amazing writer!

This is a hard one. Um, but I would probably have to say..Ginny and Harry. Honestly, I do not know a more perfect couple. She isn't head over heels, foolow him around sort, but she loves him and he knows it. She is hilarious, but courageous and knows who Harry is.

Almost all of my favorites are listed above, but I'm also a sucker for the ones that don't work out, like Jo and Laurie, Rory and Jess, or Rory and Logan. Also I loved Veronica and Logan from Veronica Mars. (Oh, we were talking books? Whoops...) I'm gonna go with Emma and Mr. Knightley. Did you ever finish that one?

I have been looking for fun fiction reads to give me a break from class assignments!

Anne and Gilbert are by far a favorite fiction couple. I love how he waited for her and pursued her. Another favorite is Marguerite Blakeney and her husband Sir Percy Blakeney from Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel. Top 5 favorite book - I can't tell too much about them because it would give a lot away, but it's a must-read!

Natalie! I'm so excited about the book giveaway; thanks for doing this!

Anne and Gilbert are definitely at the top of my list. I also love Christian and Princess Marigold from Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris. (Natalie, I honestly think you would ADORE this book. Seriously.)

And even though they weren't an actual couple, the love Sydney Carton had for Lucie Manette in A Tale of Two Cities was beautifully heart-wrenching. He says to Lucie, "I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul." I would die of happiness if a guy ever said that to me!

Frannie, please tell your Uncle that 1.) I think he is awesome and 2.) I am an ardent major-big-time Paste lover. I heart Paste. Rachael Maddux is my favorite writer in there, but I zip through all those articles. They are so well written. And I discover so many great new artists via that magazine. I'm a total fangirl. (Thank you so much for that link!) (And what a quote from Tale of Two Cities. Usually, I avoid gory books even if they're beautiful but I read that one, and I'm glad I did. Because the way hate and love crash against each other in that book ... it is really something. That was a powerful story. Definitely a GREAT pick for best couple!)

So I just typed a longgg comment saying that my favorite couple was the one from "Love Comes Softly" the movie but sadly, it got deleted :( Anyway...here goes another try... this couple is my favorite as they demonstrate the key to developing true love: time. Only with time can you realize how someone else is through the good times and bad. Only with time can you truly realize who someone else really is. Only with time can you finally be able to share a great love with someone else. I love this couple--it gives me butterflies in my stomach just thinking about the romance! Loved ur review, btw. Ur a great writer, along with jenny, and I'm inspired by that. Continue leading women (and even guys) to Christ! <3 :)))

I totally agree with you Anne of Green Gables and Gilbert Blythe are the best couple ever. I love it how Anne is so obstinate and hates Gilbert, but he keeps pursueing her! It is so GREAT!

Also Another Favorite is Caleb and Kate Frrom the book Caleb+Kate by Cindy Martinsen Coloma!!! They are adorable because caleb is such a thoughtful loving guy and he always things of whats best for kate and its adorable. I shiver when I read the book. Add the fact that Kate is gorgeous and Caleb is Hawaiian (meaning super gorgeous) you get a fantastic read!!!

I would have to say that my favorite fictional couple is Calvin O'Keefe and Meg Murry from A Wrinkle in Time. I love that they were friends before they even knew that they were in love and I think they're so perfect for each other.

Oh, my favorite couple is Christy Miller and Tood Spencer from Christy Miller Series by Robin Jones Gunn. I've been reading those books since I was a child. They make part of me. Too special.Well, All the things you said about Saving the Date made me want to read this book. In my country we don't have Jenny's books. It's a real shame. But I love to read her blog. Thanks for this giveaway!Hugs,Lady Araujo

Wow! Thank you for the book giveaway, Natalie! Hm..favorite couple. Yes, I would have to say either any of the couples from Love Come Softly and/or from Fire. I don't know--there so many couples in so many worlds :) Let's count superdeep friendships. In that case, I would vote for Sam/Frodo. It know they are definitely not a couple in the romantic sense, but their completely faithful, there-for-you-when-you-think-you're-too-weak-to-go-on, I-will-help-you-achieve-your-goals-and-maybe-die-trying friendship is very inspiring. Thanks again,Michelle

My favorite fictional couple is Lucy and Zack from Impossible by Nancy Werlin. I love this book and I love the fact that throughout the entire book where Lucy is having such a hard time Zack is always there for her no matter what. He stands by her side even though he doesn't have to. I also love that they were best friends before they became more.

I LOVE this contest!! Fictional couples that make me swoon (in addition to Anne and Gil of course!) are Hadassah and Marcus (Francince Rivers Mark of the Lion series), Christy and Todd (Robin Jones Gunn), and Jessie and Jonathon (Never the Bride by Renee Gutteridge).

I also have a soft spot for Missie and Willie LaHaye, especially in the film versions!

OOO my favorite fictional couple would have to be Wynn and Cole in Lori Copeland's "The Peacemaker" or Anne and Niall in Kathleen Morgan's "Child of the Mist".I just love historicals!Thanks for the giveaway contest!

I would love to read this book! Even if I don't win it's going to go on my TBR list.

As far as favorite fictional couple, Anne and Gilbert was the couple that popped into my mind before I even saw your screencaps :)

I have to tell you, Natalie, that while I'd heard of Anne of Green Gables (my best friend read aloud to me the 'Anne and Diana surprise Aunt Josephine in the spare room bed 'scene when we were in fifth grade, and we giggled over it) it wasn't until I read your excellent "Waiting for My Gilbert" In Step column in Brio all those years ago that I picked up a copy of Green Gables and devoured it.

So here is a very belated THANK YOU for introducing me to one of my life long fictional best friends.

I write. I walk my dog. I wear cowboy boots. I haven't managed to do all three at the same time. Yet. But it could happen! My first novel, A SNICKER OF MAGIC, will be published by Scholastic in 2014. Quirk is highly appreciated here. I hope you'll stick around and say hey :)